Shadowchasers: The Big Easy
by tiramisu19
Summary: Follow the Shadowchasers of New Orleans as they navigate the darkened streets and combat evils both supernatural and mundane. Chapter 3. Marian squares off against a smooth-talking goblin running a dangerous operation.
1. Night Assailant

Hello everyone and welcome to Shadowchasers: The Big Easy.

As I'm sure you're aware, this is my attempt at duplicating the hit that was (is?) Cyber Commander's Shadowchasers fanfiction. It's also my first story on this site. So maybe I'm a little ambitious, but what can I say? This just seems like a fun fanfiction to write, especially with Cyber Commander encouraging people to write their own Shadowchasers stories. If the title didn't give it away, this is set in the city of New Orleans. I'm not from New Orleans, so I'll try my best to not mess up any of the geography. However, since this is taking place in the 5D's-era future, I'm at liberty to invent certain things as I see fit.

Let's take care of a few things first. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh GX or Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's in any way, shape or form. Due to the nature of one character's deck, this fic will use the Field Spell Speed World 2 when a Riding Duel takes place.

Speed World 2

If you activate a non-"Speed Spell" Spell Card, take 2000 damage. During each player's Standby Phase, place 1 Speed Counter on this card (max. 12). You can remove any number of Speed Counters from this card to activate 1 of the following effects:

● 4: Inflict 800 damage to your opponent for each "Speed Spell" card in your hand.

● 7: Draw 1 card.

● 10: Destroy 1 card on the field.

Due to Cyber Commander's guidelines, I can tell you that I will attempt to avoid a situation where a player has 800 Lifepoints or less and could be defeated if an opponent draws a Speed Spell. This fic will obviously use 5D's rules, that is, Speed Counters are required to play Spells if you're dueling on a motorcycle. Synchro Summons will figure prominently in this fic as well. I will not set rules on the names of cards that I use, choosing to use the OCG names for some and the TCG names for others. I will, however, mostly use TCG names simply because that's what most people will recognize. I will also not set rules on what banlist I will be using, however, you can rest assured that characters will not run Monster Reborn and the like, nor will they use multiple copies of clearly overpowered cards. I may create cards now and then as I see fit, and I will use anime-only cards, but the same rules will apply as for banlisted cards: They won't be ridiculously overpowered.

There isn't much else I can think of at the moment, but if something comes up, I'll be sure to notify you. Therefore, without further ado, let's get on with the story.

**Chapter One**

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**Night Assailant**

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_**They call New Orleans the Big Easy, though as someone who's lived here his whole life, I can tell you, life in any place but Uptown is anything but. I've seen more tragedy than you can shake a stick at. Hurricane Katrina may be a distant memory and a lesson in history textbooks, but you can't argue that it didn't leave a lasting impact on New Orleans.**_

_**A year before I had the job I have now, my best friend was brutally murdered by the police for a crime he didn't commit. Nothing unusual, you say? Well, my best friend was a gnome. No, not the little man in a hat that you see on suburban lawns, but a short, wild-haired, green-skinned humanoid who loved to tinker with things. He actually built me my first D-Wheel from junkyard parts, and some police just looking for a target caught him scrounging parts for what he wanted to turn into a franchise: a sentient machine whose primary function was to play the most amazing practical jokes you could think of. But those are gnomes for you, fun-loving pranksters.**_

_**Needless to say, the police didn't know he was a gnome or they wouldn't have bothered him. You see, gnomes are what are known as Shadows, mythical creatures that appear as ordinary humans or are discounted by ordinary humans. The human brain constantly seeks a logical explanation for everything, so a frost giant smashing a building becomes a crazy construction worker with a crane. But I'm different. I grew up around Shadows and recognized them for what they were, making me an Aware. So now I'm part of a group of people like me whose role is to monitor and regulate Shadow-human interaction.**_

_**I am Adrian Belton, Shadowchaser, and today I have to deal with a real Shadow criminal, and he's a repeat offender**._

A lone D-Wheel sped down the darkened streets of New Orleans' Ninth Ward. The rider, a young African-American male, was out on patrol, something that was needed in the crime-ridden Ninth Ward. This night, however, appeared to be fairly quiet, until another D-Wheel sped out from a side street and nearly collided with the patrolling D-Wheel. Adrian (for that was the patroller's name) swerved aside at the last moment and was about to make a rude comment about the other's driving skills, until he took a close look at who was driving. The driver was a tiefling, a human with a demon in their family tree. Adrian recognized this particular tiefling as Ignatius Faust, easily distinguished by his curved rams' horns on his forehead and his flaming orange eyes. To an ordinary human, he would have looked like a typical Western European with a constant sneer on his face. Ignatius prided himself on the tight spirals his horns made, and often thought of himself as a demon, though he had a human mother. He was a fence, and had been behind bars twice before for peddling stolen goods.

"Stop right there, Ignatius!" Adrian hollered. "I thought I recognized you from our last briefing..."

"Hellfire!" exclaimed the tiefling. "You're a Shadowchaser, just the kind of people I need off my back right now. Listen, cut me a break, I just got out a week ago. I don't need to be going back there just yet."

"Hmph," Adrian muttered. "I'm afraid I can't do that, brother. John told me you'd be out soon and he also told me your habits. You're never this reckless unless you've got stolen goods on you."

"Well there ain't much you've got to go on there, Shadowchaser," Ignatius said derisively. "You don't have any evidence."

"On the contrary, sucker," Adrian replied. "My radio's tuned to the police scanner, and I just got word of a break-in at their confiscated goods depot. You're getting sloppy in your old age, Faust, or do you just want to be caught? Now, you can save yourself a beating by coming with me quietly, or you can take your chances with the police. Trust me, Shadowchaser HQ is a lot friendlier than your local jail."

For an answer, the tiefling rammed his brass-colored chopper into Adrian's Yamaha, and attempted to pull away.

"You know, I didn't want to have to do this," Adrian sighed. He punched a button on his D-Wheel's console and an image of Spell Card with an elongated picture of a highway streaking towards a bright light came up.

"Speed World 2, set, on!" proclaimed a computerized voice.

"So that's how it's going to be, Shadowchaser," said Ignatius. "I should warn you, I'm something of a pro when it comes to Riding Duels."

"I'll believe it when I see it," replied Adrian. "Now, let's get this show on the road!"

"Riding Duel... Acceleration!" they shouted in unison as they drew their hands and the duel began.

**(Adrian: 8,000 SPC: 0)-(Ignatius: 8,000 SPC: 0)**

"Let the pursued have the honor of the first move!" Ignatius shouted. "I draw! And I think I'll start things off with XX-Saber Emmersblade (1,300/800) in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, a four-winged, armored insect appeared, carrying a pair of green sabers.

"And I think I'll end things with a facedown." He slipped the card into his Disk and a Set card appeared for a moment and vanished from sight, its presence indicated only by Adrian's display.

"Fine then. It's my move!" exclaimed Adrian as he drew and Speed World 2's effect raised each player's Speed Counters by one and their D-Wheels picked up speed.

Hmm. Those X-Sabers are pretty rare cards. I doubt an ex-con could have gotten those fresh outta jail, Adrian thought. I have a pretty good idea of what he took from the depot.

He looked over his cards and threw one on his disk. "I summon my Blade Knight (1,600/1,000) in Attack Mode!"

A man carrying a curved sword and a kite shield leapt onto the field and struck a heroic pose.

"Go, Blade Knight! Attack his Emmersblade!" Adrian shouted.

The swordsman dashed over to the insect and made a swift slash, showering Ignatius with the glowing shards of his monster.

"Ughh!" grunted Ignatius. "I activate my Emmersblade's effect! Now I can summon a Level 4 or below X-Saber from my deck, and I choose X-Saber Uruz (1,600/1,000)!"

A warrior with a bestial red mask and girded in red armor materialized, carrying two jagged short swords.

"I'll set a card, same as you," Adrian said. "Back to you, perp."

**(A: 8,000 SPC: 1)-(I: 7,700 SPC: 1)**

"Hey, I resent that!" Ignatius exclaimed, hurt. "You don't have anything on me yet! But that won't matter, once I defeat you!"

He drew a card and both duelists' Speed Counters became two. "I summon the Tuner Monster, X-Saber Airbellum (1,600/400)!"

An armored lion-man with steel three-clawed gauntlets appeared and roared its defiance at Adrian.

"And now, I'll tune my Level 4 X-Saber Urz with my Level 3 X-Saber Urbellum!"

_A Synchro Summon_, thought Adrian. _This could get ugly._

Airbellum burst into three stars, which turned into three green rings through which Uruz passed through and dissolved into four stars. A burst of light enveloped both the rings and the stars and a man with a bull-horned helmet and two massive swords strapped to his back emerged.

"Synchro Summon! The Level 7 monster, X-Saber Urbellum (2,200/1,300)! And now, my trap! One Seriousness, activate!"

Ignatius' facedown flipped up, and Urbellum's two swords were replaced by a glowing energy blade (2,200/1,300 + 800/0).

"Not only does this card give Urbellum 800 extra points, but whenever he destroys a monster, I get to draw a card!" Ignatius said. "Now, Urbellum, strike down his Blade Knight!"

Urbellum made two strikes, disarming Blade Knight and then running him through. Adrian's D-Wheel swerved as he took 1,400 points of damage.

"Now, when Urbellum damages you and you have four or more cards in your hand, one of them randomly goes to the top of your deck," Ignatius said.

Adrian did so.

"Now, One Seriousness' effect activates and I can draw a card," said Ignatius and added a card to his hand. "I'll set one card and leave it at that."

**(A: 6,600 SPC: 2)-(I: 7,700 SPC: 2)**

Adrian drew the card he had placed on the top of his deck and saw his and Ignatius' Speed Counters rise to three.

_Not much here_, he thought. _Maybe a fresh hand will make a difference._

"I'll set two cards facedown and throw a monster in defense mode," he said as his cards appeared before him. "Turn end."

Ignatius drew and their Speed counters clicked up to four each.

"All right, it's time to get a little payback. Now I'm the one in control," Ignatius gloated as he took a card from his hand and placed it on his disk. "I'll summon X-Saber Anabelera (1,800/1,100) and have her take down your facedown monster," Ignatius said as a blond woman with a metallic whip emerged from a portal and slashed at his Set monster.

It flipped up to reveal a cackling jar that shattered under her attack.

"Hellfire, a Morphing Jar!" Ignatius shouted angrily.

"That's right," replied Adrian. "And you know what that means, we gotta ditch our hands and pick up five new cards."

Adrian discarded his one, while Ignatius had to get rid of four. They each drew five cards from their deck.

"Hold on, kid, because this is going to hurt! Urbellum, attack him directly!" Ignatius shouted, with a maniacal grin on his face.

"I thought you said you were good at this, Ignatius," chuckled Adrian. "If you were, you would have noticed my three facedowns. I activate the Trap, Defense Draw! Now all that damage is negated and I get to draw a card."

Adrian parried Urbellum's blow with his own standard-issue Shadowchaser sword, and then made a draw. The tiefling only growled in response and waved his hand to signal the end of his turn.

Adrian drew a card. "From my hand, I activate the Speed Spell - Angel Baton! Now I can draw two cards and send one to my Graveyard!" Adrian looked over his cards and slipped one into his Disk. "Now I reveal my facedown, Limit Reverse! This Special Summons the monster I just discarded!" Limit Reverse glowed, and Comrade Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200)appeared.

"With him on the field, all my Warriors get a 400-point power boost!" Adrian explained. "Now I'll Summon my Trident Warrior (1,800/1,200 +400/0)! And by summoning him, I get to call a Level 3 monster to the field, like my Gauntlet Warrior (400/1,600 +400/0)!"

A muscular, caped man holding a trident leapt out of a portal and made a gesture, and a warrior with an oversized red shield attached to his right hand appeared and crouched in defense.

"Even if you attack Urbellum with Trident Warrior, it'll still be a draw! And none of of your other monsters can beat Anabelera," protested Ignatius.

"In case you didn't know, my swordsman is also a Tuner," said Adrian. "I tune my Level 4 Trident Warrior with my Level 3 Comrade Swordman!"

_Crackling with energy, you appear... Punish evildoers with the power of the storm! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Lightning Warrior_ (2,400/1,200)!

A masked man with wild blonde hair wearing silver armor and a torn red cape appeared, electricity emanating from his body and leaping between his body and the ground.

"How do you like my ace monster, Ignatius?" Adrian asked. "It's not strong enough to defeat your X-Saber right now, but let's let my facedown take care of that. Go, Dust Tornado! Destroy his One Seriousness!"

A gust of wind burst from Adrian's Trap and shattered Urbellum's sword (-800/0).

"Now my Lightning Warrior can take down Urbellum," Adrian said. "Lightning Warrior, attack Urbellum with Lightning Punisher!"

The masked warrior slugged Urbellum, and he groaned and shattered.

"Now you get hit with my monster's effect!" Adrian shouted. "You lose 300 points for each card in your hand whenever he destroys a monster, and thanks to my Morphing Jar, that's 5 cards! Go, Lightning Ray!"

The tiefling screamed as lightning blasted from Lightning Warrior's hand and struck him for 1,500 points of damage. His D-Wheel spun briefly before he righted it.

"Well, that gave me a bit of a tingle," Ignatius said calmly. "But it'll take more than that to finish me off."

"I'll set one card and end my turn," Adrian said.

**(A:6,600 SPC:4-I: 6,000 SPC: 4)**

Ignatius drew a card, as each player's Speed counters increased. Next, he hit a button on his Disk and activated his set card.

"Here's where my comeback begins! I activate Gottoms' Emergency Call! So I get a couple of X-Sabers back from the grave, and I choose X-Saber Uruz (1,600/1,000) and X-Saber Urbellum (2,200/1,300)!

Two familiar faces appeared: the bull-masked warrior with two swords and the red-armored swordsman.

"Then, I'll Summon X-Saber Palomuro (200/300) from my hand," Ignatius said as a reptilian swordsman appeared.

"Did I mention that Palomuro is a Tuner?" Ignatius mocked. "I'm tuning my Level 4 Uruz with my Level 1 Palomuro to Synchro Summon... X-Saber Wayne!"

A cowboy wielding what could only be described as a pistol with a knife attached to the end of it appeared, firing several shots in anticipation.

"Now I'll activate Wayne's effect," said Ignatius. "When he's Summoned, I get to call out a Warrior from my hand and I choose my X-Saber Axel (400/100)!

A man with a jagged sword stepped out of a portal and crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive position.

"Next comes my Speed Spell - Rapid Shotwing! This gives a monster 100 extra points for each of my Speed Counters, and my Wayne looks like he needs some extra punch!"

A pair of mechanical wings affixed themselves to X-Saber Wayne and raised his ATK to 2,600.

"Wayne, destroy his Lightning Warrior!" Ignatius commanded. The cowboy spiraled high above Lightning Warrior and rained down shots on him.

"Looks like you forgot about my Gauntlet Warrior's effect," Adrian said smugly. "I can sacrifice him to raise my Warrior's attack by 500 for one battle! And that's all he's gonna need."

Gauntlet Warrior dissolved into a bolt of energy that surged into Lightning Warrior's body. (+500/0) Lightning Warrior dodged the bullets and exploded upward, and with a charged fist, smashed X-Saber Wayne into thousands of glowing shards. Then, he blasted Ignatius with lightning, inflicting 1,200 more points of damage.

Ignatius grunted. "I activate the effect of Axel. When an X-Saber is destroyed, I get to draw a card. I'll also switch Anabelera to defense mode and set a card. Turn end."

**(A: 6,600 SPC:5-I: 4,500 SPC: 5)**

Adrian drew and each duelist's Speed Counters rose to six and their speed picked up.

"I summon Exiled Force (1,000/1,000)," Adrian said, as a motley group of warriors appeared. "Now I'll use its ability and sacrifice it to destroy Urbellum!"

The warriors leapt at Urbellum and pounded him into submission, but not before he took several of them with him.

"I'll remind you that Axel's effect means I get to make another draw," Ignatius said.

_I've got to stop his draw engine..._ Adrian thought. _But right now, it's not that much of a threat, so I'll let it go._

"I activate the effect of Speed World 2, by removing four Speed Counters, I can hit you with 800 points of damage for each Speed Spell in my hand, and I have 2!" Adrian cried as he dropped behind and a bolt of energy erupted from his D-Wheel, striking Ignatius.

"Now I think I'll play them both! First my Overboost will give me back all the counters I just lost, then Shift Down will let me remove them all to draw 2 cards," Adrian explained as he picked up two new cards from his deck. "Go, Lightning Warrior! Destroy his Anabelera!"

"Ha! For a Shadowchaser, you're not that smart," Ignatius crowed. "I play my Trap, Raigeki Break! By discarding a card, I can destroy another, like your Lightning Warrior."

He slipped a card into his discard slot and a bolt of fire shot at Lightning Warrior, only to be stopped by a glowing dome that in turn caused his Raigeki Break to shatter.

"A Destruction Jammer? I guess you're not as dumb as I thought, Shadowchaser," muttered Ignatius.

Lightning Warrior then proceeded to cleave Anabelera in half and blast Ignatius with another 900 points of damage. Ignatius glared at Adrian as he drew another card per Axel's effect.

"I'm getting a little tired of that monster's effect, so I'll bring back my friend Palomuro to help by paying 500 points, since you destroyed one of my X-Sabers," Ignatius snarled.

"I'll set three cards and leave it at that. And during the End Phase, due to Overboost, my Speed Counters become one. But that's an improvement, so I'm not concerned. Back to you," Adrian said as three set cards appeared briefly and disappeared.

**(A:6,600 SPC: 1-I: 1,500 SPC: 6)**

Ignatius made a draw and saw his Speed Counters rise to seven and Adrian's to two.

_Hellfire... _he thought as he reviewed his hand. _I'm going to have to gamble on Speed World 2's effect. Here goes nothing..._

"I activate Speed World 2's effect! By removing seven Speed Counters, I can draw a card." He made a draw and grinned. "Meet my XX-Saber Boggart Knight (1,900/1,000)! And with his effect, I can bring out XX-Saber Darksoul (100/100)as well!"

A fiendish-looking man in spiky armor carrying an energy cutlass sprang onto the field, accompanied by a hooded man carrying a wicked scythe.

"I'll tune my Level 4 Boggart Knight, my Level 3 Darksoul, and my Level 1 Axel with my Level 1 Palomuro to Synchro Summon my ultimate fighter... Strike him down, XX-Saber Gottoms (3,100/2,600)!"

An enormous armored man in a red cape wielding a gargantuan sword came forth and swung his sword menacingly.

"Destroy his Lightning Warrior!" Ignatius commanded, and Gottoms surged forward and cut down Lightning Warrior. "I'll throw a card facedown and activate the effect of XX-Saber Darksoul. Since he went to the Graveyard, I can grab an X-Saber from my deck." He added a card to his hand. "I end my turn."

**(A: 5,900 SPC: 2-I:1,500 SPC: 0)**

Adrian made a draw and watched his Speed Counters go to three, while Ignatius' became one. "I end my turn."

"Nothing you can do, eh?" said Ignatius with a wicked grin. "There's a world of hurt in store for you. I draw!" The Speed Counters increased to four and two, respectively. "I summon XX-Saber Garsem (1,400/400)," Ignatius said as an armored gazelle wielding two swords appeared. "Now I'll activate it's effect, giving it 200 more points for each X-Saber I have, and I count two, so that's 400 more points. Garsem, Gottoms, attack him directly!"

The gazelle leapt forward and made two quick slashes, causing Adrian to cry out in pain. Gottoms followed it up with a massive strike from his blade.

Adrian grit his teeth and said, "I activate Damage Gate! Now I can summon a monster from my Graveyard with attack equal to or less than Gottoms' attack, and I choose Lightning Warrior."

A dark portal appeared, and Lightning Warrior stepped through it.

"Hmm... I'll throw another card facedown to reduce the damage I'll take through your monster's effect, and end my turn," said Ignatius.

**(A: 1,000 SPC: 4)-(I: 1,500 SPC: 2)**

Adrian drew. "Now phase two of my plan begins, as I summon Twin-Shield Defender (700/1,400) in attack mode. But he's only here so I can play this, my Speed Spell - High Speed Crash! By sending him to the Graveyard, I can destroy your first Set card!"

Ignatius frowned as his set Sakuretsu Armor shattered.

"Now, Lightning Warrior attacks Gottoms! Go, Lightning Punisher!" Adrian cried.

"What! This is suicidal! What are you planning, Shadowchaser?" Ignatius asked angrily.

Adrian's facedown Waboku flipped up and Lightning Warrior bounced off of Gottoms unharmed. Then, another Trap revealed itself, showing Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth breaking through some chains.

"I activate Synchro Ring! So, when my Synchro monster isn't able to destroy your monster in battle, it doubles its Attack and gives it another shot!" Adrian explained as Lightning Warrior roared with newfound power.

Lightning Warrior surged towards Gottoms and smashed him into shards with one swing of his powerful fist. Then, like so many times before, lightning blasted from his palm, inflicting 900 points of damage to Ignatius, dropping him to 0.

**(A: 1,000)-(I:0)**

Ignatius cursed as his D-Wheel hood blew open, steam burst from his engine, and his console flashed 'DEFEAT' at him. Adrian pulled to a stop beside him and grabbed his deck from the holder. He then pulled a small device from his pocket and a small beam of light ran over the cards.

Adrian smiled. "Just as I thought. These have been marked, like everything else the police confiscates. But you've got nothing to worry about, Faust. After doing a couple of stints for selling magical items, the time you'll get for this will seem like nothing. Unless that D-Wheel is stolen too."

Ignatius snorted. "Nope. This is my personal one, that I had in storage. And the evidence will prove me right."

"No doubt," said Adrian and lifted a small gemstone. A flash of light, and Ignatius winked out of existence. Adrian pocketed the gemstone and pulled a mobile phone. "Hello, New Orleans Police Department? I've apprehended a thief who took some goods from your Ninth Ward Depot. Who am I? ...Can you put Sergeant Harrison on? He'll vouch for me."

A new, gruff voice crackled into the phone. "Who is this?"

" 'Quan? This is Adrian. I got the thief that made the recent break-in at the depot. I'm at Banks and Dupree. Can you send a couple of guys down to get the goods? The perp's identity is sensitive, if you know what I mean."

Harrison grunted in acknowledgement. "Understood. I'll instruct my guys to pick up the stuff, and not worry about the thief. This isn't the first time, you know."

"Thanks, man," Adrian replied. "There aren't enough Awares on the force as it is. This guy could've been trouble if you'd tried to take him in."

"Well, thanks for handling it," Harrison said. "You take care of yourself, okay? Say hey to John for me when you get the chance."

"Will do," Adrian replied. "Catch you later, dude."

He ended the call, and after placing a wheel lock on the D-Wheel, mounted his Yamaha and sped off, wind whipping at his jacket.

_Another day, another perp apprehended,_ thought Adrian. _Seems a little repititive, but at least it beats working at the docks_.

He relaxed his expression as he rode, finishing up the rest of his patrol.

_**Ignatius was a perfect example of the types of crooks we got as Shadowchasers. Thieves mostly, but the occasional arsonist or murderer. John likes to talk about the days when being a Shadowchaser meant both tenacity and diplomacy. In his day, apprehending the usually dangerous criminal was a breeze compared to patiently explaining to the police why exactly he couldn't release the perp to them. Now we've got people like 'Quan and others in NOPD that understand who we're dealing with. That's not to say being a Shadowchaser ain't challenging. It just comes with a different set of challenges now than it did back in the day. But John's still the best Shadowchaser around...**_

_How's that for a first chapter? A little rough, yes, but we'll see a different kind of Shadowchaser, the mysterious John in our next chapter, "Neo Aqua Madoor"._


	2. Neo Aqua Madoor

_(A/N: For those of you familiar with Japanese pronouns, the antagonist in this chapter would use the pronoun "ore-sama". For those not familiar, this is an extremely arrogant way of referring to oneself. Just a little visualization help)_

**Chapter Two**

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**Neo Aqua Madoor**

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**John's been doing this almost since before I was born. He's my Shadowchaser mentor and a wily veteran of the streets of New Orleans, as well as the whole of Lousiana. John was born a Choctaw Indian in Jena and came to Louisiana straight out of high school. John knows a thing or two about the dangers of the job, as his own mentor was killed by a sahuagin mutation when he was still a relative rookie. John doesn't talk much about it, especially since he exacted his revenge in a "moment of weakness", as he says. But John's respected and trusted by the local Shadows and indeed throughout Louisiana. In addition to being our team leader, he's also our weathervane for the local Shadows. This particular night, he's visiting one of his habitual haunts...**

A D-Wheeler pulled into the last available parking spot in front of The Laughing Rogue, a dive known for its excellent homebrewed ale and its tendency to have police officers show up at its doors. The D-Wheeler took off his helmet, revealing a middle-aged man with a salt-and-pepper beard, high cheekbones, and black hair tied back in a ponytail. To the casual observer, he would have seemed to be half-asleep due to his hooded, heavy-lidded eyes. However, anyone who made this mistake with John Okhinna would receive a swift chop to the jugular and a hard left to the stomach. Though level-headed by nature, he was not a man to be trifled with.

John walked through the the old-style wooden (nobody uses wood as building material anymore) doors and emerged into a jovial, smoke-filled environment. He took a seat at the bar and surveyed the room for several seconds before a voice interrupted him.

"John, you old bastard, what'll it be?" The speaker was a mongrelman named Maurice. To a Mundane, Maurice would have appeared to be a completely normal human. So normal, in fact, that none of them would have been able to describe him fifteen minutes after they had met him. Even for a Shadow, Maurice would've been difficult to describe. Most folk knew he was part human, part goblin, but would've been hard pressed to tell you anything else about his convoluted family tree. It was rumored he was part elf, dwarf, orc, kobold, and even orog (half orc, half ogre).

"I'm surprised you're even asking me this question, Maurice." John replied. "How long have you known me? Twelve, thirteen years? I'll have a glass of milk, which I know you have."

"Always the same, isn't it?" Maurice chuckled. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to try some of my homebrew. It's been my top seller since I opened up this joint. You ever consider drinking something else?"

"Hey, if it was good enough for Roberto Clemente, it's good enough for me."

"You know, John, you constantly amaze me with the references to 20th century people. If I didn't know better, I'd say you was a lot older than you look."

John smiled craftily. "How do you know? I look a lot younger than I am, believe me."

Maurice smiled, revealing a row of yellowed and broken teeth. "That's the closest I've heard you come to making a joke in quite a while." He plunked the milk down in front of John. "There you go. Fresh as you can get. Enjoy."

John took a sip of the milk as he casually cast his gaze around the bar. "Maurice, what's the vibe been like the past few days?"

"It's been pretty quiet overall, with one exception," Maurice replied. "See the lizardman in the corner? That's Korna Flarecrest. Apparently he's a pretty good duelist on some minor circuit. Anyway, he came in here three days ago, immediately started buying up my strongest liquor and challenging people to duels. He hasn't lost, so people have left him alone. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but he's an arrogant little prick and needs to be taught a lesson."

John sighed. "Well, I have taught my share of classes over the years. It wouldn't hurt to do it again." He drained the rest of his milk, pulled his deck out of his jacket and placed it in his Disk.

At that very moment, Korna Flarecrest stood up from his chair in the back of the bar. He was a magnificent specimen, standing fully seven feet tall and two hundred eighty pounds with a scarlet crest running from the base of his neck to the top of his forehead. Two attractive (by lizardfolk standards) lizard women rose with him, clinging to his body and hanging on his every word. He was surrounded by various toadies and sycophants, eager to gain some measure of prestige by associating with him.

"All right, which one of you fools wants to challenge me tonight?" he roared. When he was met with total silence, he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Hahahahaha! I knew none of you had the spine! After all, I am the great Korna Flarecrest, Rex Sauri!"

A cold voice cut across his boasting. "I'm surprised that you have the brains to give yourself a Latin title. Do you even know what that means?"

Slightly shocked, Korna replied, "Of course I do! It means 'King of Lizards'."

The voice laughed. "Give him a prize. He knows what his own name means. I'll take your challenge, Mr. Flarecrest." John stepped into view, his heavy-lidded eyes fixated on Korna.

Korna grinned, his saw-like teeth giving him a menacing appearance. "Old man, do me a favor and back down. I really don't want to have to hurt you."

"Trust me," John replied. "What you can dish out is nothing compared to what I have suffered. However, I do have a proposition for you. What do you say to a wager?"

"What are the stakes?" Korna asked.

"If I win, you leave this bar and never come back. If you win, then I'll buy you all the drinks you want tonight."

"You've got yourself a deal, old man. Let's duel!"

John said nothing, only drawing five cards from his deck.

**(John: 8,000-Korna: 8,000)**

"You wouldn't deny an old man the privilege of going first, now would you?" John said politely as he drew a card with his calloused left hand. "I'll begin with a simple Field Spell: A Legendary Ocean."

The bar was submerged in water and both duelists were standing amid the ruins of an ancient city.

"Next," John continued, "I'll Set a monster and facedown card. And that's all for me."

"My turn!" proclaimed Korna. "I'll summon Spear Dragon (1,900/0)! You'd better hope that Set monster has pretty good defense, because my Spear Dragon has a piercing effect! Go, Spear Dragon, attack his monster!"

A blue, long-snouted dragon appeared and blasted a tremendous gust of wind at John's monster. The card flipped up to reveal a blue-haired, masked wizard who deflected the attack with a wave of his hand.

"That's my Aqua Madoor (1200/2000 +(200/200)), and his defense is a little more than your dragon can crack."

Korna grunted angrily. "I'll set a card and my dragon moves into defense mode as per its effect."

**(J: 8,000-K: 7,700)**

"I draw," observed John. "I'll shift my Aqua Madoor into attack mode and summon the Amphibious Bugroth MK-3 (1500/1300 +(200/200)).

A strange, four-legged machine with missiles on the side and two massive propeller engines on top appeared.

"Since A Legendary Ocean's name is treated as Umi," John explained, "my Bugroth gains the ability to attack you directly. But first, I'll reveal my facedown, Trap Stun! So if you were planning on using that set card of yours, forget about it. Now, Bugroth, attack him directly!"

Missiles blasted from the strange machine, spiraling into Korna and causing him to roar in pain.

"Let's move on," John said. "Aqua Madoor, destroy his dragon."

Aqua Madoor waved his hand and a watery phantom appeared. The phantom grabbed Spear Dragon from behind and dragged both of them into a dark portal, which promptly disappeared.

"I'll set one card and with that, my turn is over."

**(J: 8,000-K: 6,000)**

Korna paused before drawing. _This is a new sensation..._ he thought. _I'm not used to losing. Which makes it all the more imperative that I reverse this._ He drew. "I'll activate the Spell, The Shallow Grave. Now we both can summon a monster from our Graveyard in defense mode, only you don't have one. How's that, old man? I'll Set this monster, and then I'll sacrifice it, to summon my unstoppable Strong Wind Dragon (2,400/1,000)!"

A horned, extremely muscular dragon appeared, flapped its wings, and roared, sending an almost-real blast of wind reverberating throughout the bar.

"Let me clue you in on my dragon's ability, old man," Korna gloated. "If I summon it by tributing a Dragon, it gains half that dragon's attack points! So that's nine hundred and fifty more points for my dragon! Go, Strong Wind Dragon! Destroy his Bugroth with Strong Hurricane!"

Strong Wind Dragon roared and prepared to belch a gout of flame from its maw, but its mouth suddenly closed and it sank to the ground as if under an immense weight.

Korna groaned as he looked at John's now face-up Gravity Bind. "Spoilsport. I end my turn."

John drew a card, looked at it, and selected another from his hand. "I activate the Spell card Double Summon! Using its effect, I'll summon both Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness (2,100/1,200 +(200/200) and Cannonball Spear Shellfish (1,000/1,000 +(200/200)."

A large killer whale swam onto the scene, followed by an amorphous creature with a conical shell on top of it.

"Using my Orca's effect, I'll tribute my shellfish to destroy your set card."

The killer whale picked up the conical-shelled creature with a crane and affixed it to a slot on its head. It then blasted the creature from the slot, destroying Korna's set card, which was revealed to be Negate Attack.

"I'll switch Aqua Madoor into defense mode and have Bugroth attack you directly again."

The machine blasted Korna again, causing just a little more pain this time.

"Seeing as I have no other cards to play, I'll end my turn." John said calmly.

**(J:8,000-K:4,300)**

Korna angrily drew a card and grinned. "I play Stamping Destruction! Now my beast is free to attack and you take five hundred points of damage to boot!"

Strong Wind Dragon shot flames from its mouth, destroying Gravity Bind and slightly burning John in the process.

"Let's see," Korna mused. "I could destroy your Orca, but the likelihood of you drawing a Torpedo Fish on your next turn is pretty slim. And besides, that thing needs to pay for attacking me. Strong Wind Dragon, demolish his Bugroth with Strong Hurricane!"

John's Bugroth was incinerated and he was hit with the debris.

"Why stop there?" Korna asked. "I play Dragon's Gunfire, so now I can hit you with eight hundred points of damage!"

A fireball flew out of the Spell and slammed into John, nearly knocking him over.

"I'll end my turn and let you catch your breath, old man." said Korna mockingly.

**(J: 4,950-K:4,300)**

John made a draw and immediately set it. "Turn end."

Korna drew a card and fit it into his disk, saying, "It's time for one of my favorite combos! I play Dragon Heart! Here's how it works, I send three dragons from my deck to the grave and Strong Wind gets an extra thousand points! On the one hand, I can't normal summon this turn. On the other hand, I have no need to! My Dragon's Mirror Spell will remove the Red Eyes Black Dragon and Meteor Dragon I just discarded and fuse them into Meteor Black Dragon (3,500/2,000)!"

As Strong Wind Dragon roared with power, an enormous, purple-colored dragon with massive veins and a vicious row of spikes on its neck flared into existence.

Korna laughed as he pointed his finger at John's monsters. "Now, my beasts, incinerate his creatures!"

Strong Wind Dragon blasted Aqua Madoor out of existence and Meteor Black Dragon shot a flaming meteor from its mouth, roasting Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness.

John was knocked over by the sheer force of the two attacks and made a great show of struggling to his feet.

"Do you understand why I haven't lost yet, old man? My Dragon Power deck is simply unstoppable!" Korna was in his element now, and his toadies looked ready to kiss his feet, so great was their admiration.

"I end my turn. Next turn, you're dead."

**(John: 1,500-K:4,300)**

John slowly drew a card and hit a button on his disk. "I reveal my Forgotten Temple of the Deep. Normally it would double as another Umi, but now it'll serve as fodder for my Magic Planter, allowing me to draw two cards.

A Spell card appeared and enveloped his Continuous Trap in its thorny tendrils and devoured it. John drew two cards and breathed a sigh of relief. "I summon Codarus (1,400/1,200 +(200/200)).

An elegant blue sea serpent, looking like a young Levia Dragon, undulated onto the field.

"Next, I'll activate his effect. By sending A Legendary Ocean to the grave, I can send two cards you control to the grave, like your two dragons."

Korna gasped as his two beasts shattered, and grunted as a jet of water from Codarus hit his broad chest.

"I activate Salvage, allowing me to take two low-attack WATER monsters from my Graveyard and add them to my hand," John said as two cards slipped out of his Disk. "Then, I'll end my turn."

**(J: 1,500-K: 2,900)**

Korna drew. _Spirit Ryu? That's not strong enough to beat his Codarus. And with the other card in my hand being The Dragon's Bead, I'm in a tight spot. I'll just have to see if I can't survive until next turn._ "I set one monster and end my turn."

"Very well, then," John said as he drew. "I'll summon Armed Sea Hunter (1,800/400) and have him attack your set monster."

A sea creature with a humanoid torso and the lower body of a plesiosaur appeared and shot an arrow at Korna's set monster, transfixing Spirit Ryu and causing it to shatter. That was quickly followed by another jet of water from Codarus, staggering Korna. "Turn end." said John, as the hint of a smile played around his lips.

**(J: 1,500-K: 1,500)**

Korna drew a card and immediately played it, saying, "I activate Card of Variation! So now I'm allowed to draw twice." He did so and slapped a card onto his disk. "I play Vanguard of the Dragon (1,700/1,300), and I'll activate its ability. By sending a Dragon from my hand to the grave, it gains three hundred points."

He discarded a copy of Tri-Horned Dragon and his blue, spear-and-shield-wielding dragon's muscles bulged.

"Attack his Codarus, my dragon!" Korna shouted and the sea serpent was impaled by the dragon's spear. "Now I have to discard a card, or I'll lose the duel because of Card of Variation's effect." He placed The Dragon's Bead in his Graveyard. "I end my turn." He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that for now, he had the strongest card on the field.

**(J: 900-K:1,500)**

John drew. "I activate Moray of Greed. So, by sending two WATER monsters in my hand back to my deck," He held up Aqua Madoor and Amphbious Bugroth MK-3. "I can draw three cards." He placed the cards in his deck, shuffled, and drew three cards. "I play Big Wave, Small Wave. This destroys all WATER monsters on my field and allows me to summon an equivalent number of WATER monsters from my hand." A river of lava destroyed his Armed Sea Hunter and a deluge of sea water brought with it a gigantic sea serpent with an elongated neck and wicked-looking teeth.

"I hope you like my Spiral Serpent (2,900/2,900), because it and my Mother Grizzly (1,400/1,000) are about to send you packing," John said as he placed another card on his disk. "Spiral Serpent, attack with Spiral Wave!"

The giant sea serpent swam dizzyingly fast circles around Vanguard of the Dragon before snaking out its neck and devouring the dragon whole.

John smiled as he said, "Mother Grizzly, finish him off."

The bear surged forward and slashed Korna across the chest, causing him to drop to his knees.

**(J: 900-K: 0)**

"Impossible..." breathed Korna. "How could I lose to an old man?"

Maurice gave him his sarcastic answer. "You were only facing the top Shadowchaser in New Orleans and a personal friend of mine, John Okhinna."

"You remember our bargain, don't you?" John said. "Get out of this bar and don't let me see your face in here again."

Korna glared at John. "You got lucky, that's all. I'm still the best duelist around. You'd better hope I don't catch you in a dark alley someday."

John sighed. "Look, you're nothing but a bag of wind with a little skill. Do me a favor and just leave, please."

Korna stormed out of the bar, his toadies throwing venomous looks at John. Within seconds of his departure, the bar went back to its usual state as if nothing had happened. It paid to be "unobservant" in the Ninth Ward.

John settled back down at the bar and nodded in acknowledgement when a couple other patrons thanked him.

"Maurice, get me another milk for the road. The streets are a little too dangerous for me to be sitting in here twiddling my thumbs."

"Sure thing, John," Maurice replied. "Come back any time if you need some info or just want to chew the fat."

John chugged the milk, picked up his helmet, and silently proceeded out of the bar. _I hope Marian's been alright while I've been away. Goodness knows that girl's got mountains of talent, but she hasn't quite gotten a feel for the city yet. But as long as she doesn't try anything too ambitious, she oughta be fine._

He mounted his D-Wheel and sped off in the direction of Shadowchasers HQ, eager to meet up with the rest of his team.

**Maurice is one of our most reliable contacts, so we're always happy to take care of any knuckleheads that are bothering him. Plus, it reassures the Shadows that we're members of the community, too. That girl Marian John was talking about? She's our newest member, and she has a tendency to go for the things that are maybe a little out of her reach...**

_Meet Marian, the young ambitious Shadowchaser in our next chapter, "Generation Shift"._


	3. Generation Shift

_(A reviewer pointed out to me that I made an error regarding a certain move that was made in the duel last chapter. As such, the chapter has been very slightly edited. These are the kinds of things that help a writer. Positive reviews are nice, but if you spot a mistake or an area where I can improve, don't hesitate to point that out. That being said, please confine yourself to constructive criticism. Thank you. Second note: The card Fusion Recovery is used in this chapter. For the purpose of the story, its effect will read "Add 1 'Polymerization' and a Fusion Material Monster from your Graveyard to your hand." Thank you.)_

**Chapter 3**

**00000**

**Generation Shift**

**00000**

_**Marian's the last of our motley band, and she's also the youngest. Just because she was born to a family of privilege, don't underestimate her skill. Her raw talent is the best I've seen, and she'll easily become the best of us with experience. She's unique among us in that she is Shadowtouched. She's one quarter angel, and a lovely young woman. She can handle herself in a fight pretty well for a white girl. She's trained in some martial art that I can't even pronounce, but it's beautiful to watch her train. Unfortunately, her talent sometimes goes to her head and causes her to bite off a little more than she can chew. Like tonight...**_

Three goblins sat around a table playing five-card draw. A pile of money lay in the middle of the table. The room was dingy, littered with animal bones and empty bottles of liquor. The tallest, Nall, laid down his cards.

"Three queens and two fives. You'll be hard pressed to beat that," he said with a chuckle.

Another goblin, Baegiyet, the smallest, laid down his cards, revealing a club flush. He sniggered. "Looks like I've got you beat this time, Nall." He was about to reach out for the pot, when he was floored by a sudden blow from Nall.

"Garn! See here now, you must have cheated! There ain't no other way you could've beaten me." His nostrils flared as he stood over the smaller goblin, attempting to exert his dominance. He suddenly stepped away and swept the money into a bag, only to be tackled from behind by Baegiyet.

Watching the two scuffle was the third goblin, Daimon. _Blockheads,_ he thought. _Who cares about a little poker money when there's so much more to be made on the black market?_

After watching them fight for several seconds, he walked over to the two of them and, seizing each by their neck, clapped their heads together.

"Idiots! Stop fighting, you'll draw attention to us. Nall, the money's Baegiyet's because he beat you. I don't care if he cheated, it's one hand, it won't cost you that much. Baegiyet, if I catch you cheating, especially if it's my money,"

He stopped and drew a finger across his throat menacingly. Nall grumbled as Baegiyet snatched the money over to his side of the table.

A female figure crouched outside of the first-floor apartment. She had taken it all in. Duel Disk slung on her arm, her long blond hair was up in a ponytail at the moment. Her eyes were gray, not flint gray and hard, but storm gray, as if when her eyes gleamed, lightning flashed.

She nervously reached into her letterman jacket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, which when properly situated, was revealed to be a warrant.

_Get over it, Marian_, she thought. _You've done this before and you know how to handle it._

She continued to crouch as the goblins resumed their card game. As she watched, the rumbling of an engine was heard coming down the narrow street that the building was on. Marian gave a swift look, tucking the warrant back into her jacket, and checked to make sure her D-Wheel was safely hidden, then turned to face the noise. The truck, driven by a young goblin, slowed as it approached the apartment. Marian, realizing the implication, joined her D-Wheel in the shadows and pulled out her mobile phone.

The truck came to a stop and the three goblins dropped their cards and met the other outside. Greetings were exchanged, mainly consisting of stock phrases, though a complicated handshake was performed between Nall and the newcomer.

Daimon's voice was barely audible from where Marian was as he commanded, "All right, boys. Let's get it off the truck and into storage."

Daimon coolly kept watch while the other three grunted as they drew back the truck bed's cover, lifted duffel bags off of the truck and trudged into the apartment. This went on for a couple of minutes, until something fell out of one of Baegiyet's bags.

Daimon cursed as he bent down to pick up the fallen object. The light from the open door revealed a white paper bag, from which a small amount of dusty brown powder had spilled.

"Shit! Baegiyet, what do you think you're doing? We can't afford to make mistakes like that. I'm already pretty sure the cops have an idea of what we're moving, even if they don't know that it's us, and I'm not taking chances with the Shadowchasers, either."

"Daimon, it's the bag. The zipper's broken," Baegiyet pleaded. Daimon mumbled something about the mothers of his suppliers before handing some bills to the driver and retreating into the apartment.

Marian waited until the truck was out of sight before she reemerged from where she was hiding. That brown powder... she thought. It's unlikely that goblins would be buying brown sugar in bulk, especially from a truck in a back alley. This confirms our original suspicions.

She grabbed her mobile phone from her jacket and hit a couple of buttons. The scene she had just witnessed replayed, albeit in poorer quality. She zoomed in on the bag. Taking a mental picture, she brought up a photo of a similar-looking substance. Brown powdered heroin, she thought. It was difficult to tell without a side-by-side comparison, but she was reasonably certain the two substances matched.

She rose from her crouch and walked to the now closed door of the apartment. _As much as I'd like to, I can't just bust the door down. However, that's not to say that I have to knock. Ah! There is another entrance._ Placing her Duel Disk into her knapsack on her back, she stealthily crept to the rear of the apartment, where another door was located. She withdrew a small tool from her knapsack. It was a simple rod about five inches long with an opening at one end. She pressed a button on the end and a selection of key bits emerged. She selected one and pressed a second button. The other key bits receded into the rod. She placed the bit into the lock and turned. Luckily, she had selected the right bit the first lock clicked and the door opened.

These tools had been developed by Shadowchasers HQ, and were currently available to certain Shadowchasers teams. With the recent growth of cities, mass-produced housing had become more common. The buildings were identical and were often fitted with one of a few standard types of lock. This device was largely prototypical, but extremely useful.

Marian stepped into the dingy apartment and into a back room where several duffel bags were stacked somewhat haphazardly. She opened one of the bags, took out a paper bag identical to the one she had seen outside, and opened it. Snapping a photo of the brown powder inside and of the duffel bags with her mobile phone, she proceeded to place the bag back into the duffel. She sent a text message to both Adrian and John that included the photos and her location.

She drew her jian, a sort of Chinese longsword, from its sheath on her back. The well-oiled scabbard ensured that minimal noise was made as she withdrew her sword. She crawled carefully into the room where the goblins were playing cards. Unfortunately, her knee struck an empty bottle, causing just enough of a sound to make the goblins turn around.

"Shit! A Shadowchaser!" Daimon exclaimed. He swiftly rose from his chair and pulled out a semiautomatic handgun, motioning to his comrades to do likewise. Within seconds, Marian was staring down the barrels of three fairly powerful handguns. In that time, she had managed to rise to her feet and assume a fighting stance, one leg extended, the other back, with a slight bend of the knees, one hand on the hilt of the jian, the other extended, palm up.

Several moments passed before Daimon spoke. "Well, well, Shadowchaser. That is what you are, right?" Marian nodded slightly. "It appears we are at an impasse. I don't want to have to kill a Shadowchaser, but you did discover our hideout. Hmm..." He paused and thought, furrowing his brow a little less than most of his kin usually did when performing this action.

"Wait, Shadowchaser, do you even have a warrant? Because if you don't, then as a private citizen I can evict you." Marian reached slowly into her jacket and unfolded the warrant, showing it to Daimon. He nodded and thought some more while Marian placed the warrant back into her jacket.

"I've got a solution, Shadowchaser. Nall, Baegiyet, grab what you can and move to our backup hideout. As for you, Shadowchaser, don't try to stop them or contact your little friends, or I'll shoot. It won't be a killing blow, but I can assure you it'll hurt."

Nall and Baegiyet grabbed a couple of duffel bags and stuffed cash, paper bags, and a couple of personal items into them before departing. Shortly after, the sound of an engine was heard and faded into the night.

Marian spoke. "How are you going to leave? If you try to escape, I'll just follow you. You can hardly aim well from a moving D-Wheel. That is, if you have one."

"I've considered that," said Daimon. "And that is why I propose we settle this under the Fair Fight Clause. If I win, then you allow me to go free. If you win, then I'll go to prison. What do you say?"

"Sounds fine to me." Marian slowly sheathed her sword as Daimon slowly lowered his gun. They each slipped a Duel Disk onto their left arms and placed a deck into it. "Duel!" They both shouted.

**(Marian: 8,000-Daimon: 8,000)**

"So tell me, how come a low-life like you is so articulate, unlike many of your goblin brethren?" Marian asked as she drew her hand.

"I knew that I had to get somewhere in life, and the best way to do that was education," Daimon replied. " My father set a bad example for me. He was a typical goblin, crude and uncivilized. He was killed in the clan wars. I had to be different. Unlike many of my fellows, I graduated high school and even attended college for a little while. I studied business, naturally." His voice had changed. Previously harsh, it now resonated with bass tones as he reminisced.

"Unfortunately, I soon realized that this world has little to offer a goblin such as myself. Shadows were hesitant to employ me, submerged in stereotypes, and my presence put off Mundanes. I dropped out of school and applied my business savvy to what you see here. And I'm quite successful."

Despite his calm tone, Marian burned with fury. "You call this success? Heroin's one of the most dangerous drugs out there! You're ruining people's lives!" She paused and said contemptuously, "I despise you."

"If you're done with your righteous blustering, then let's get on with it." Damon drew a card. "I'll activate a Spell Card, Reinforcement of the Army. It will allow me to add Warrior Dai Grepher to my hand. Next, I'll activate Double Summon and summon Dai Grepher (1,700/1,600) and my Frontier Wiseman (1,600/800)."

A burly warrior carrying a green-bladed sword and a bearded, robed man wearing a crown and carrying a book appeared. "I'll finish with a single set card."

Marian drew. _Hammer Shot_, she thought. _It's a pity I drew it now. That Wiseman would protect Grepher from its effect._

"I'll summon Genex Undine (1,200/600)." A blue, transparent machine with tubes attached to it appeared. "Using its effect, I'll send another Genex Undine from my deck to the grave to add Genex Controller to my hand. Then I'll set two cards. Turn end."

Daimon drew. "I activate Polymerization. Fusing the Dai Grepher on the field with the Spirit Ryu in my hand will allow me to Summon Ryu Senshi (2,000/1,200)!"

The burly warrior reappeared, but carrying a double-bladed sword and wearing a purple mask with a gold mouth and a dragonic tail running down the back. "I'll continue by sacrificing the Frontier Wiseman in order to summon Lesser Fiend (2,100/1,000)."

A four-armed demon with a beastlike head emerged onto the field and bellowed its challenge at Marian. Marian reacted quickly. "I activate my trap Hidden Soldiers! So now I can summon a DARK monster from my hand!"

"I don't think so!" Daimon cut in. "By paying 1000 lifepoints, Ryu Senshi can negate that trap. And the best part is, it doesn't go to the Graveyard because Senshi's effect doesn't destroy it."

Marian gasped and made an angry noise. Her temper flared. "That won't matter in a minute! I'll stop you, you fiend!"

Daimon chuckled. "Let's see if you can. Lesser Fiend, destroy her Undine with Quadruple Pummel!" Ryu Senshi sprung forward and slashed at the machine, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier.

Marian laughed. "My Negate Attack stopped you cold. And you can't negate it, because it's a Counter Trap! Ha!"

"I have no other cards I can play," said Daimon. "I end my turn."

**(M:8,000-D:7,000)**

Marian drew. "I'll activate my Hammer Shot Spell card, which will destroy your Lesser Fiend." An enormous hand appeared wielding a wooden mallet and promptly crushed Lesser Fiend with it.

"Next, I'll summon Genex Controller." A makeshift, semihumanoid robot trundled onto the field. "Now I'll tune my Level 3 Undine with my Level 3 Controller! _Elemental Allies, surge to the fore! Harness the power of water as you defend the weak! Synchro Summon! Appear, Ally Genex Triarm (2,400/1,600)!_

A green-and-black suited humanoid was born out of the green rings, sporting an oversized gauntlet weapon with three holes on the end on its left arm.

"Now, since I used a WATER monster as Synchro Material, Triarm gains a powerful effect," Marian continued. "By discarding a card from my hand, it can destroy a Spell or Trap. So I'll have it eliminate your facedown!"

As she slipped the card into her Disk, and water gushed from Triarm's weapon, Daimon's Set card revealed itself. "I activate Threatening Roar! This will keep me safe for this turn."

Marian sighed. A disappointed look appeared on her face as she set a single card facedown and waved her hand to signal the end of her turn.

Daimon drew. "I'll end my turn."

Marian drew with a flourish. "I'll summon Ally Genex Duradark (1,800/400) in attack position." A humanoid robot appeared with a pink, holeless mask over its face. "Triarm, destroy his warrior with Triarm Blast!" Triarm lept forward and blasted Ryu Senshi into pixels with a burst of water. "I'll follow that up with Duradark's direct attack!" Duradark landed an uppercut to Daimon's jaw, causing him to fall heavily to the floor. "Finally, I'll set this and end my turn."

**(M:8,000-D: 5,200)**

Daimon drew. "I activate Re-Fusion. So, by giving up 800 points, I can summon Ryu Senshi back from the Graveyard. Next, I'll equip him with the Spell Fusion Weapon, boosting him by an astounding 1,500 points (2,000/1,200 (+1,500/1,500)."

The dragon warrior reappeared and his double-bladed sword vanished and a device containing a sphere of energy was grafted onto his arm. "Now, Ryu Senshi, destroy his Triarm!" The warrior leaped and a burst of energy shot forth from the weapon, jolting Triarm out of existence.

Marian shielded herself from the resulting explosion. "Ughh! This isn't over! I'll beat that oversized swordsman! Are you gonna end your turn or what?"

Daimon chuckled. "You seem impatient. Take it easy. I'll end my turn."

"On your End Phase, I activate DNA Transplant!" Marian shouted. "I think I'll declare DARK Attribute."

**(M: 6,900-D: 4,400)**

Marian drew a card. "I activate my Duradark's ability. Once per turn, by forfeiting his attack, I can destroy an Attack Position monster that has the same attribute as Duradark. And thanks to my DNA Trap, Ryu Senshi fits the bill! Go, Duradark! Destroy his warrior with Attribute Blast!" A burst of dark wind blasted from Duradark's hand and blew away Ryu Senshi. "I'll end my turn there."

Daimon drew. _Fusion Recovery isn't exactly a game-changer, but it'll protect me for a turn. _"I activate Fusion Recovery. So I'll take Polymerization and Dai Grepher from the grave and add them to my hand. Then I'll set one monster." Two cards slipped out of his disk and he placed one of them facedown. "Turn end."

Marian made a draw. "I summon Ally Genex Changer (1,200/1,800) in attack position." A green machine with a yellow face appeared. "Now, Duradark, destroy his facedown monster. Changer, follow up with a direct attack!"

Warrior Dai Grepher appeared on the facedown card and shattered. Changer blasted Daimon with white light from its hand, driving him back a pace. "I end my turn."

**(M:6,900-D: 3,200)**

Daimon drew. "Well, Shadowchaser. Luck favors me, it seems. I activate Lightning Vortex. By discarding my Polymerization, I can destroy all of your monsters." Multiple bolts of lightning zapped both of Marian's machines and destroyed them. "Seeing as I have no other cards in my hand, I'll end my turn."

Marian drew. This'll help stop his attack. "I set one card and end my turn."

Daimon pulled a card from his deck. "I activate Pot of Avarice. By shuffling up five monsters from my grave, I can draw two cards." He returned Lesser Fiend, Dai Grepher, Frontier Wiseman, and Spirit Ryu to his deck and placed Ryu Senshi in his Extra deck. He then proceeded to draw twice. "I summon Marauding Captain (1,200/400) and then I'll summon Possessed Dark Soul (1,200/800) with his effect. Then both of my monsters will attack you directly."

A warrior in battered armor wielding two swords appeared, accompanied by a flaming red-purple demon and the two lunged toward Marian. "I activate Security Orb! This switches your Captain into defense mode!" Marian gave a small cry as she was hit with a flame from the demon.

_I've got a temporary advantage,_ Daimon thought. _But it'll be tough to keep that if I have to keep topdecking._ "I end my turn," he announced.

**(M: 5,700-D: 3,200)**

Marian's demeanor changed. The fire was gone. The pressure of the situation had replaced it with ice. Her eyes gazed coolly at Damon as she drew her card. "I summon Ally Genex Volcannon (1,700/600)." A red robot wearing a welder's mask and carrying a black metal tank on its back appeared. "Now I'll destroy your demon. Volcannon, show him real fire." Fire surged from the weapon on Volcannon's shoulder and burned away Possessed Dark Soul, scorching Daimon in the process. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

**(M: 5,700-D: 2,700)**

Daimon drew a card and immediately set it facedown. "I end my turn."

Marian drew. "Volcannon, destroy his Captain!"

"I activate Alchemy Cycle! So my monster's attack goes to 0, but I get to draw a card." Volcannon burned away the weakened soldier.

"I set one card and end my turn," said Marian. Daimon drew a card as she said this.

Daimon made another draw. "I play my other Fusion Recovery. I'll add Polymerization and Possessed Dark Soul to my hand. Then I'll combine my Dark Soul with the Frontier Wiseman I just drew to form Dark Balter the Terrible (2,000/1,200)!" A crazed-looking figure with wild hair, gold armor and a green cloak gave a wicked cackle as it appeared. "Balter, destroy her Volcannon!" The mouth in the fiend's stomach opened and consumed the red machine. "I'll end my turn."

**(M: 5,400-D: 2,700)**

Marian drew. "I activate the trap Call of the Haunted, Special Summoning my Ally Genex Triarm (2,400/1,600) to the field." The black-and-green robot reappeared. "Then I'll play Riryoku, halving Balter's attack and adding it to Triarm's."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no," said Daimon smoothly. "By paying 1000 points, I can negate that with Balter's effect." Marian's Spell Card fizzled.

"No problem." Marian smiled widely. "You fell into my trap. By discarding Ally Genex Chemistry from my hand, I can change Triarm's Attribute to FIRE." She placed the card in her discard slot and Triarm was surrounded by flames. "Then, I'll trigger my Spiritual Fire Art - Kurenai! This lets me Tribute Triarm to burn you with all of its attack points as damage! That's game!" Triarm was sucked into the Trap and emerged as a bolt of fire that slammed into Daimon and bowled him over.

**(M: 5,400-D: 0)**

"You seem less rude and more intelligent than most of your goblin brethren. If it weren't for the fact that you're a criminal lowlife, I would've almost enjoyed dueling you." Marian smiled sadly and held up a crystalline orb.

"You're not so bad yourself, Shadowchaser," Daimon said. "If it weren't for the prejudices people have, I wouldn't have to do this." He gave Marian a wink as he vanished into the orb.

For a brief moment, Marian felt the sting of Daimon's statement. She reassured herself. _What you said in that duel was okay, it was your emotions talking. I'm sure he didn't mean that as a slap at you. Anyway, he's a criminal. You can't feel sorry for him._

Deep in thought, Marian was interrupted by John's calm voice. "Marian, are you all right? What's the situation?"

She looked up to see John and Adrian standing next to her, both with worried looks on their faces. "Oh. I'm fine. I was just thinking. I had to duel a goblin, but it's okay. I won." Her remorseful look was quickly replaced with a smile. "Anyway, the drugs are in the back. Once we confiscate these, we'll be able to strike a blow against dealers in the city."

Adrian was the next to speak. "Marian, was this the only guy? Did you see where the others went?"

"No, there were two others, Nall and Baegiyet, I think. They left, but I didn't see where they went. I only heard one engine, so it was probably a car. I wanted to tell you guys to look for them, but Daimon had a gun trained on me when they left, so I couldn't contact you."

"A gun?" John asked. "Were you okay? I know we all have combat training, you especially, but guns are a different matter when it comes to fighting."

Marian exhaled exasperatedly. "John, I was okay. You sound like my father. Besides, I became a Shadowchaser to fight crime and have adventures, not to listen to lectures."

John smiled with the look of a man who's dealt with women before. "You're right. As long as we spar regularly, you should be able to deal with any criminals, as long as they're not packing illegal weaponry."

Adrian looked at the two of them and sniffed humorously. "Well, I don't know about ya'll, but I think I'm gonna patrol a little longer, see if I can't find anything out about where those two goblins went." His dark eyes hardened. "I know junkies who used to be friends of mine. The sooner these two are gone, the less people we'll have to watch throw their lives away."

"Amen to that, brother," said John. "Marian, call the police and tell them to come down and confiscate the goods. I'm going to have a look around, for clues and things of that nature." He started to peruse the room intently.

Adrian started to walk towards the door, and turned back. "Marian?"

"Yes?"

"I'm proud of you. It was ambitious to take on three armed goblins with no backup, and pretty rash too. But you showed courage and fortitude. You're becoming a great Shadowchaser." He put on his helmet and strode towards the door.

"Thanks," said Marian softly. In truth, Adrian had been a little stern with her when she was an apprentice. In his view, eighteen-year-olds should not be fighting crime. But it wasn't because he thought she wasn't mature enough. Adrian didn't want to see this beautiful young woman broken by the rigors of the world just yet. So praise from him was something to be treasured.

Adrian mounted his D-Wheel and set off purposefully. He liked being active. He'd seen lives fall by the wayside when people lacked purpose. He didn't intend to join them. Dawn was still a couple of hours away. He had plenty of time.

_**Drugs are as much a problem in New Orleans as they are in any other city. We don't usually handle usage violations. We just stop the distribution. But in truth, we have other things to focus on. That's why Marian's calling the police to handle the heroin. If there are Shadows involved, we catch the perpetrators and let the police do the confiscation. But accidents happen. Sometimes Mundane police officers are in over their head, especially when they're dealing with Shadowkind.**_

_A couple of police officers get more than they bargained for when they try to deal with the rest of that gang. Find out what happens next in "Major Riot."_


End file.
